CANADA: Underground Runaway

In the sooty town of Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia there was cheer one morning
last week. The Princess Colliery, owned by Dominion Steel & Coal Corp.
Ltd., had announced that it was putting on extra shifts so that the
miners could earn something for Christmas. Shops broke out with
holiday decorations and Sydney Mines was festive. But the cheer lasted only a day.

The Princess mine, one of the oldest in the Cape Breton area, was opened
in 1867. So many tons have been gouged from its insides that the main
shaft now runs...